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Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

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Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

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Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

  1. Turn up the ________________ so we can feel the beat.
  2. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  3. Is it always a sin to tell a ________________?
  4. Did you get a birthday ________________ for him this year?
  5. We are ________________ to obey laws.
  6. My partner was ________________ at the birth of our baby.
  7. The party suffered for the ________________ of party-switching.
  8. Actually, the ________________ method has plenty of room for improvement.
  9. The ball hit the back of the ________________.
  10. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  11. Today is the ________________ day of the holidays. Back to school tomorrow!
  12. That was ________________ to happen.
  13. A ________________ is a veil over the lips.
  14. The fisherman caught a huge ________________.
  15. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  16. False peace will not ________________.
  17. At ________________, we arrived at the village.
  18. Don't do anything ________________.
  19. I play ________________ in a jazz band.
  20. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  21. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  22. I seem to be developing a ________________.
  23. The hunter does not ________________ down with the prey.
  24. He reached out and took down a small leather ________________ book.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. bass — low music
  2. bark — a dog's sound
  3. lie — an untruth
  4. present — a gift
  5. bound — obliged
  6. present — there
  7. rash — a series
  8. present — the time now
  9. net — in sport
  10. bark — to shout
  11. last — final
  12. bound — certain
  13. lie — an untruth
  14. bass — the fish
  15. net — for catching
  16. last — to go on
  17. last — finally
  18. rash — hasty
  19. bass — the instrument
  20. bark — of a tree
  21. net — after costs
  22. rash — on the skin
  23. lie — to recline
  24. bound — tied together

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

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Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com